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Latest Articles about Kaliningrad/Baltic
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Moscow Now Wants Missiles Rather Than a Base in Belarus, Minsk Analyst Says
Technological breakthroughs in Russian military aviation and the expansion of a Russian airbase in Kaliningrad mean that the opening of a Russian military airfield in Belarus would do less for Russia’s defense posture than many had thought only a few years ago. At the same... MORE
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Kaliningrad to Become ‘Special’ Again
Having lost its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status on April 1, 2016, Russia’s westernmost region, Kaliningrad Oblast, has once again demonstrated an inability to cope with mounting economic challenges. Meanwhile, floods and adverse weather conditions near the close of 2017 compelled local authorities to beg... MORE
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Kremlin Uses ‘Preventive Democracy’ to Reinforce Russia’s Post-Federalism (Part One)
Over the past year, the Russian Federation experienced two large waves of resignations of governors. In spring 2017, the heads of seven regions—Perm krai, Novgorod and Ryazan oblasts, as well as the republics of Mari El, Udmurtia, Buryatia and Karelia—lost their posts. In autumn, the... MORE
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Russia’s Changing Military-Strategic Perceptions of Kaliningrad Oblast Between 2013 and 2017
Last September’s massive strategic-level Zapad 2017 exercise provided analysts and observers with a number of important conclusions about the state of Russia’s military readiness, capabilities and Russian military thought (see EDM, September 14, 20, October 3, 6); though the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is... MORE
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Is Kaliningrad on the Brink of Inter-Ethnic Conflict?
Rather unexpectedly, Kaliningrad oblast—Russia’s westernmost, physically detached region on the Baltic coast—experienced a surge in inter-ethnic tensions arising from discrimination directed at the local Islamic community. On September 19, a Kaliningrad court opened a legal case initiated by the local Muslim community, which is suing... MORE
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Russia Raising Taxes on Gasoline and Cellular Network Services to Fund Development Projects in Crimea, Kaliningrad and Far East
The Russian government recently announced a hike in excise duties on gasoline. The overall retail price will increase by more than a ruble per liter (6.5¢/gallon), or by around 2.5 percent of its current market price, by the end of the next year (Ekho Moskvy,... MORE
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Zapad 2017: A Test for the West
The joint strategic Russian-Belarusian military exercise Zapad 2017 (“West” 2017), which took place on September 14–20, is worth studying in detail because of what it reveals about Moscow’s likely military operations in the westward direction in the event of a regional crisis. At the same... MORE
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Lukashenka and Russian Officials Part Ways During Zapad 2017
The Zapad 2017 military exercise is officially over. Russian tank and airborne (VDV) units are being withdrawn from Belarus as well as Kaliningrad, Leningrad and Pskov oblasts, and moved back to their permanent bases (Militarynews.ru, September 22). On October 1, the autumn call-up of some... MORE
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Kaliningrad Oblast: Russia’s Testing Ground for ‘Warfare of the Future?’
Russia watchers had collectively identified Kaliningrad as a serious anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) “bubble” by 2016 (see EDM, October 12, 2016; Neweasterneurope.eu, August 2, 2017). Now, this westernmost Russian region may be on its way to becoming a training ground where the most advanced methods of warfare... MORE
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Strategic War Game Zapad 2017 Has Begun
Last November, in Minsk, at a session of the joint Russian-Belarusian “defense collegium,” Russia’s minister of defense, Army-General Sergei Shoigu, declared the upcoming strategic war game, Zapad 2017, to be “the most important joint military exercise of the Armed Forces in 2017.” According to Shoigu,... MORE